The AARP Bulletin and the Nelson County Times, Nelson County, Va., published two different articles in late May warning consumers of frequently reported “security scams” during the summer sales season. The Nelson County Times quoted several law enforcement officers providing tips to differentiate between legitimate salespeople and impersonators, such as asking for proper identification and licensing where applicable. The AARP report added that minimally trained salespeople often use questionable tactics to take over other company’s security customers and upsell systems without revealing extra monitoring or equipment charges, among other scams. 

Children of firefighters from California and Michigan were awarded $10,000 in scholarships by the Electronic Security Association (ESA) through the ESA Youth Scholarship Program. Altogether, ESA and its participating Chartered State Associations awarded $47,500 in scholarships to 38 winners from more than 900 applications. The program has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships to children of police officers and firefighters since its inception in 1996.

Stanley Convergent Security Solutions Inc. (Stanley CSS), Naperville, Ill., announced the purchase of selected Verifier Capital accounts in the southern United States. The purchase includes mostly commercial accounts using the Sonitrol impact-activated audio technology and a small number of traditional digital security accounts. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Avigilon, Vancouver, a provider of high definition (HD) and megapixel video surveillance solutions, earned the 2011 “Team of the Year” award from the British Columbia Technical Industry Association (BCTIA), an industry-funded organization with over 2,700 member companies and 60,000 member employees. The 2011 BCTIA “Team of the Year” award, which was presented to Avigilon’s Manufacturing Operations Department, acknowledges a team of individuals at a non-executive level who have made a significant contribution to the overall success of their organization during the past year.

AMAG Technology, Torrance, Calif., an access control, IP video and intrusion management solution provider, announced its 2010 Eagle Award winners at ISC West. AMAG recognized its top SymmetryTM Authorized Resellers for their exceptional customer service, commitment to AMAG’s Symmetry solution and for their outstanding sales achievement in 2010.

The New Jersey Burglar & Fire Alarm Association announced scholarship prizes given to two deserving students. The association’s scholarship program recognizes the academic and community achievements of the children of local police officers and fire fighters.

BNP Media, the Troy, Mich.-based parent company of SDM and Security, recently announced a partnership with BirdDog Career Centers which combines the resources of the leading media company serving the mechanical systems field with the leading job/career center resource focused on this market.

Basler Vision Technologies, Ahrensburg, Germany, producer of digital cameras for industrial and security applications, announced that it appointed Jalmari Vaissi as the new director of sales for IP cameras in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). His primary goal is to further expand the business and establish Basler products in the EMEA region.

The Electronic Security Association (ESA) announced the formation of two new groups designed to increase knowledge, skills and professionalism of individuals charged with specific business duties within security integration companies.

OzVision, Woburn, Mass., developer of hosted video solutions, created a program to provide dealers of all sizes with the ability to compete in the hosted video-as-a-service (HVaaS) marketplace. As part of the OzVision Dealer Direct Program, dealers will gain access to the direct reseller program for the OzVision Secure Network (OSN) Vault™ solution, as well as new flexible pricing models that eliminate the hardware cost barriers that block dealers from successfully selling video services, according to the company.